Saudia Arabian Airlines is teaming up with Panasonic Avionics to upgrade its aircraft cabins and in-house maintenance capabilities.
The airline on June 6 signed an agreement with Panasonic Avionics to install its Astrova inflight entertainment (IFE) system on up to 30 of its aircraft. The agreement covers retrofits on 12 of the airline’s Airbus A330s and 18 of its Boeing 777s.
Panasonic Avionics first unveiled the Astrova IFE system last June at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg. It features 4K OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens, Bluetooth audio, up to 100W of USB-C charging and programmable LED lighting.
Panasonic says the system was “designed with modularity, scalability and flexibility in mind,” so it includes features such as a removable peripheral bar that enables airlines to easily add, upgrade or remove features such as USB power and Bluetooth audio. Astrova was also designed to be backward compatible with Panasonic’s other IFE systems, which it says enables operational commonality in a variety of areas, including spares and repairs for some line replaceable units.
The Saudia agreement follows United Airlines’ major agreement, also signed June 6 at AIX in Hamburg, to purchase nearly 300,000 Astrova IFE screens. Panasonic says this is the largest ever investment in its IFE product by an airline. In addition to fitting Astrova on its new Airbus A321XLRs and Boeing 787s from 2025, United will also retrofit the screens on its domestic fleet as part of its United Next program to refurbish cabins.
In addition to selecting Astrova, Saudia and Panasonic Avionics will be collaborating to develop IFE maintenance capabilities in Saudia Arabia with the airline’s Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) MRO subsidiary. The companies say Panasonic will enhance SAEI’s repair capabilities, train its technicians and introduce state-of-the art technology.
“Panasonic’s work with SAEI will be instrumental to the local market, as it will open up jobs for Saudis while providing repair capabilities,” says Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia Group. “In addition, this partnership contributes to the Nartaqi program, which is an initiative by Saudia aimed at driving localization by supporting the greater use of local suppliers and local businesses whilst providing quality jobs, training and development for Saudi nationals.”
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